"If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even have made it to that moment" - When Sha'Carri Richardson shared emotional hug with grandmother at 2021 Trials

Sha'Carri Richardson once opened up about the importance of her grandmother after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately, she was unable to participate in the 2020 Summer Games due to a positive cannabis test.

Richardson had qualified for the 100m event at the 2020 US Olympic trials, where she clocked a time of 10.86s. Following this triumph, the athlete immediately ran to the stands and hugged her grandmother, Betty Harp. Following this heartwarming exchange, the American track and field star sat down for an interview with Today.com, where she said that her grandmother played a pivotal role in her journey to achieving this athletic milestone.

She expressed her gratitude for being able to see her grandmother after qualifying for the event.

"Running up in the stands to see my grandmother, in that moment I was just so grateful and blessed, the fact that she could be there," said Richardson. "From her catching her first flight, probably ever, two weeks before that and then again on a flight to come and support me in one of the biggest moments of my life."

She added:

"If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even have made it to that moment, so to be able to share that moment with her was just literally unbelievable, unforgettable."

Richardson claimed that her presence was far more valuable than the medal she won. However, following this, the sprinter was suspended for a month after testing positive for cannabis, resulting in her disqualification from the Tokyo Olympics. The athlete had lost her mother just a week before the Olympic trials and disclosed that she had used the drug to cope with her mother's passing.

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"I know I'm responsible" - Sha'Carri Richardson on missing the Tokyo Olympics

Sha'Carri Richardson, in a conversation with Today, opened up about missing the Tokyo Olympics after she was suspended for her doping suspension. She described the situation as bittersweet, as it gave her more time to reflect on herself, Watching the games from home also strengthened her resolve to learn from the unfortunate incident.

"It was a moment of bitterness, but at the same time it was sweet because it just gives me more time, it gives me more to show the world that I'm here to stay," Richardson said. "And it just guarantees that I'm going to be here just a little bit longer in the game, but definitely watching it made me want to push forward and just grow from that."

Taking responsibility for her actions, the athlete added,

"I know what I did. I know I'm responsible, and I'm here to take what it is that I have to take from the choices that I decided to make. You can't run from reality, it's still going to be there no matter how long you choose to ignore it, no matter how long you choose to think it's going to go away."

The 24-year-old has come a long way from the incident, as she won two Olympic medals in 2024, including one gold and one silver. She clinched gold in the 4x100m relay, where she and her team clocked a time of 41.78s, surpassing Great Britain and Germany, who finished second and third, respectively.

She also won silver in the 100m dash, recording a time of 10.87s. Julien Alfred won the gold medal with a time of 10.72s.